A dear friend
by ProcrastinatorC
Summary: Raising a child without a husband by her side was hard, she wanted to give up, to flee from it. But, with someone to support her, Sakura did it. She didn't care if this someone was alive or not, she still cherished it with all her might. It was a balm to her bleeding heart.


It began with a smile.

Sakura always had an imbalance between her spiritual and physical energy but it never hindered her in her career but it gave her a special gift. She has always been able to feel presences. Shadows that looked out of place of chakra sources in the air. She learned to bear with it and when she conquered her inner it all but disappeared. Upon awakening her byakugou seal, she rekindled with this gift. It haunted her for years, feeling the remains of the war but she bore with it.

She married and had a child with the man of her dreams but she felt a strange emptiness in her heart. She thought she was happy but it kept growing, this void, it suffocated her. She worked more and more, her shifts doubled and her daughter was neglected of any maternal love. Her husband had vanished once again to find himself back. Exhaustion crept up and she was forcefully taken off the rooster.

Looking at her daughter, watching her spread her own wings should have made her proud, made her feel close to her but she still had that void. Her imbalance was getting stronger and the chakra in her seal was getting erratic, her emotions making waver. Until the moment the diamond on her forehead changed color. She knew it was abnormal so she placed a genjutsu on the black seal.

At 6 years old, Sarada was crying, searching for signs of her mother at home. The moment she was gonna give up and go to the hokage's house, she heard a small groan coming from her mother's study. She ran as fast as she could and cried harder. Sakura couldn't remember what happened, with her mind hazy and her eyes unfocused. She was taken to the hospital she had managed just a day before to rest in a bed for a week. Her daughter's suffering made her realize how irresponsible she had been. Tears gathered in her eyes and a drop fell on her cheek.

She hugged her daughter and apologized over and over until Sarada was the one comforting her mother. In the dark entrance, Sakura's eyes perceived a small light. Raising her head she saw for the first time a clear view of the dead. She had only seen him a couple of times but she never forgot. Standing in front of her was Sasuke's brother, he gave her a faint encouraging smile and vanished. She dried her tears and got up. She had to stay strong for her family.

It continued with a look.

Raising a child alone was confusing and difficult. Sakura couldn't bring herself to bother her friends as they were already busy with their own family. It made her feel out of the loop. It was like she saw everything through another eyes. The man who should have been at her side was still absent. She tried to keep the grudge from taking place in her heart but when she saw her daughter looking longingly at the others with both their parents, her heart broke even more.

"Sarada, your papa is doing his best to protect the village, to protect us. That's why he can't always be here." Sakura ran a hand through her daughter's hair.

"But I never saw him. He can't be that busy." Sarada glanced up.

"I don't know." She could do nothing but give her a sad smile, her eyes looking a little more dead each time.

She was going to break, her mind couldn't handle the stress. She felt her strength depleting and her body getting used to her near civilian life. The thing she hid for so long, her bloodlust, was getting restless.

Sarada asked her once again why she was still waiting for an unseen figure. Itachi made another appearance. He looked reassuringly at Sakura who was gonna snap and stayed at her side. She poked her daughter's forehead and thanked her brother in law with a plate of dango put as an offering to his grave far from the village.

They marveled at a touch.

Her imbalance was still getting stronger and she began to see the dead more clearly. She hadn't realized how many of them still lingered in the living world, filled with regrets of a short life and watching their loved ones get over them. Once she was alone with her daughter playing with other children she asked him.

"What's your regret?"

He glanced at her and barely touched the photo frame, his fingers tracing the emotionless face of his brother. His eyes were filled to the brim with so much conflicting emotions. She had no right to see that. She was not part of their bond. She knew Itachi would always matter more to Sasuke than her. She accepted it but their bond was unwavering, unrelenting and she was jealous.

He mouthed his words but she understood them and gave him a genuine smile. She was grateful. Her chakra control has always been good and she followed her instincts, gathering the seemingly tainted chakra from her seal to her hand until it was visible, she grabbed his hand and tightened her grip, seeping warmth onto his limb. Her eyes widened and he gaped at the heat of the touch. To feel something against his ghastly nonexistent flesh, one tainted by blood and wrath. For the first time in decades, a tear dropped from his eyes. The drop vanishing when it fell on the floor.

They talked, they smiled and laughed. Always having a comforting hand for the other to grab and get peace from it.

Time passed and it got more bearable.

The village survived another attack.

Sasuke finally came home. Sakura welcomed him with a smile, Itachi at her side with a serene gaze.

Sasuke was a comrade, the father of her child, she loved him like family and she didn't seek the passionate love she always dreamed of from him. Not anymore. She grew up from her young mind. She matured with Itachi always supporting her. Her hand always in his.

She unexpectedly had another child. A boy with her features. She cooed at him, her daughter exited of having a new family member, Sasuke lost in his thoughts.

"Can we name him Itachi?" Sakura asked with a tired but proud voice. There was no hesitation and determination made her eyes shine.

Sasuke snapped out of it and stared at the picture they made, his family. His eyes were hidden by his hair and he slowly nodded.

"Hello Itachi." There was no distinction to who she said it to. The senior gave her a heartbreaking smile while the small one wiggled in her hold.

Her baby boy grew up, her daughter leaving her for her lover to begin her own family and her husband who left once again. Her brother in law still remained with her.

Her chakra was swiftly eating at her health, her seal making even more near the end. No one knew what was happening, the change was so quick. Her teacher had already hit the end, she had been the best for years and no one could find a solution if she couldn't.

"Mom, don't leave me." She said nothing to her son and poked his head, hard. He winced and rubbed over the spot. He didn't why she always seemed to poke his forehead, she didn't even do that to his sister.

"With life comes death, you can fight it, you can delay it but know when to welcome it."

She was in her bedroom, on her bed, the spot next to her always empty. Her body was shutting down and the seal threatened to break out. She had to take this secret to her grave, no one could know about it. Her son rushed to the bed and gently shook her. She raised her hand and poked his forehead, not breaking the connection. The genjustu broke and his son watched her byakugou seal break and the shattered pieces flew to his mothers fingers. He felt a sting and Sakura put her hand down.

Her eyes were smiling.

"Itachi."

She died before her 50th birthday with a smile on her face and a kiss from _him._


End file.
